Preparation

08.27.11

NYC Mass Transit Begins Shutdown

Mario Tama / Getty Images

New York City began shutting down its mass transit systems Saturday, with the last trains and buses leaving their stations at noon. The shutdown will take about eight hours, and service won’t resume until Monday at the earliest. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also considering cutting off power to parts of lower Manhattan in order to avoid the risk of salt-water flooding while the cables are live. “There’s a lot less damage to cables if salt water gets on them when they don’t carry any current,” he explained.